Some of the most exciting and novel results to emerge from the current
generation of X-ray observatories, namely
XMM-Newton and
Chandra,
are provided by the high spectral resolution of their dispersive
spectrometers. In the case of XMM-Newton,
the high resolving power of
the Reflection
Grating Spectrometer (RGS) is coupled to a very large
collecting area, which makes this an ideal instrument for detailed
spectroscopic investigations of faint and distant sources, from stars
to active galaxies.

High resolution spectroscopy in the X-ray band has proven to be an
invaluable diagnostic tool in detailed investigations of the dynamics
and physical structure of X-ray sources, investigations which until
recently could only be carried out on the closest of these sources,
the Sun.

Now that XMM-Newton guest
observations are routinely carried out and
the data widely distributed to the astronomical community, the time is
ripe for gathering a workshop to review the science results and explore
the analysis techniques associated with grating observations; the aim
is to focus on XMM-NewtonRGS
investigations and technical issues,
without excluding, though, relevant work from the
Chandra mission.